Video: A80 Supra tries out a bi-turbo V12 swap

The fourth generation of the Toyota Supra (a.k.a. A80) is primarily known for its ruthlessly efficient 2JZ six-cylinder engine. It is therefore interesting when someone actually decides to swap it out for another one, as Australian tuner WTF Auto did here.

Another tuner shop, called Top Secret Tuning, had done something very similar before. In both cases, the Japanese sports car ended up with Toyota’s only production V12 on record. The five-liter, twelve-cylinder unit bears the designation ‘1GZ-FE’ and churns out mere 276 horsepower (206 kW) thanks to its plain, naturally aspirated design.

WTF Auto retrofits the mill with dual turbine chargers and carries out a range of further modifications to get around 1,000 hp (750 kW) out of the drivetrain. This makes the A80 Supra fast enough to hit 358 km/h (222 mph) in a straight line.

The above may sound like a sensible mod unless you consider that the 2JZ has been repeatedly pushed to the same performance level without any need to swap it altogether. Hence, the project likely has aesthetic or proof-of-concept reasons behind it, rather than practical ones.